Conversation with Dr. Sergey A. Ostroumov from the University of Moscow about the ecological condition of water systems and the research of organisms living in water, which play a crucial role in maintaining the balance in nature.
What is the true role of organisms living in water in maintaining ecological balance?
Water is a deceptive medium. It may seem soft, associated with purity and beautiful landscapes, but in reality, it is completely unforgiving and unyielding. We cannot mold water like we do with soil. From this, it follows that water does not allow for “manipulation” as it is an incompressible element.
Today, many are concerned about the climate, and there are valid reasons for that. It is an undeniable fact that weather and climate are connected to the temperature of the atmosphere, which greatly depends on the concentration of carbon dioxide. There is a dynamic equilibrium of carbon dioxide in the surface layer of water-air. It is evident that there is fifty times more dissolved carbon dioxide in the ocean than what the atmosphere contains. This means that if the concentration of carbon dioxide in the ocean is increased or decreased, it will have a direct impact on the atmospheric temperature, and consequently, on climate.
In the atmosphere, a change of 2% will result in a corresponding change in the carbon dioxide content, according to this equilibrium, twice as much. After that, the catastrophe begins. The level of carbon dioxide in the waters is still determined and maintained by the organisms living in freshwater, seas, and oceans.
There is balance in the waters, but in a hidden form. There is a scientific term called “dynamic equilibrium” which represents the balance between opposing forces in nature. What do we usually see? We see waves, occasionally a fish jumping out of the water, kingfishers gliding on the water’s surface, seagulls flying over the water. But the most important thing is invisible, and that is the thousands of species of aquatic organisms. When different organisms interact, a balance of opposing tendencies is established: one strives to feed, while the other strives to survive. And this is literally the case in every single drop of this system – a sum of opposing processes: there are components with a positive sign and components with a negative sign. That is The term “balance”, in quotation marks because it is variable. Each component of the system depends on the other.
What happens if this balance is disturbed?
On one hand, such complex systems have a kind of wisdom, or rather a certain resistance, but on the other hand, they are sensitive. All of this needs to be studied for a long time in order to answer the question of how much change the system can tolerate. The ecological system is remarkably organized. I come to the conclusion that one can speak of an ecological tax, analogous to the tax in society. An entrepreneur must pay taxes in order to have a stable environment to work in. And that tax is high; it never amounts to less than 25 to 30%. Organisms pay an ecological tax and it is much higher. Organisms that live in water function in such a way that more than half of the work they do is not so much necessary for themselves, but for the ecological system. For example, the species I have studied the most, which are mollusks, filter water by removing two to three times the amount of material. and necessary for nutrition, and in some cases a mollusk consumes only 5 – 10% of what has been removed. The organic matter that the mollusk did not eat, but cleared from the environment using its energy and strength, it formed into clumps and threw them onto the sea floor. These clumps are then eaten by bacteria as food provided by the mollusk. It can be said that filter-feeding organisms, like mollusks, have the role of kidneys in the entire aquatic ecosystem. And now let’s imagine that there are half as many mollusks. What will happen to such a water ecosystem? It will become clear if we ask ourselves: how does a person feel who has lost a kidney?
Does this mean that mollusks are responsible for maintaining balance in the waters?
This is entirely correct, but they do it with other aquatic organisms. And the future of humanity will not depend on those “hot spots” that are the only ones mentioned in the new programs, but on the speed at which these mollusks (shells) filter the water. Finally, some of the principles of the existing concept The concepts of nature conservation are outdated and unacceptable. We used to introduce certain critical standards, such as if there are a thousand tigers left in the wild, that is acceptable. According to this criterion, it would be allowed to shoot tigers until there are only a thousand left. But if we reason in the same way about mollusks, which exist in large groups, it might seem that nothing terrible will happen if their population is reduced two or three times, or even ten times. But how many kidneys do we have?
The same goes for water quality. There are certain standards for different substances present in water. Let’s assume that in a certain country there is strict ecological regulation and that standard is being maintained. However, as time passes, an ecological disaster occurs in that system. Everyone is surprised and wonders how it is possible since everything was done according to the latest scientific knowledge! However, no one realises that adhering to the maximum concentration levels and feeling tranquil is equivalent to sitting on a barrel of gunpowder and smoking. Evaluating the state of the environment and the impacts of human activities based solely on scientific knowledge is flawed and outdated. The protection of wildlife and the preservation of its habitat should not be determined solely by numbers or strict thresholds, but by a holistic understanding of the interconnectedness of all living beings and the environment they inhabit. Conservation efforts should be focused on promoting sustainability and biodiversity, and ensuring the long-term well-being of all species and ecosystems. Access to the system was made by applying undisputed but not comprehensive criteria. That means it was believed that a person must keep one kidney instead of doing everything to not lose any.
Why is it necessary to introduce ecoethics?
Ecoethics is not just a collection of rules and laws that a person must adhere to. It is what a person cannot fail to respect. If we say that we should not kill tigers because we will be punished for it, that is not yet ethics. Ethics begins when a person doesn’t even consider killing tigers.
So how can we achieve such a relationship with nature? The best way is for knowledgeable people to educate the less informed in a sufficiently understandable manner. Then humanity will listen to what scientists say. So if the fact about the global function of mollusks discovered by scientists can cause even a small change in people’s consciousness, it means that as a scientist, I have fulfilled my duty.